In another transitional year for the Wingham Ironmen, GM Rob Harrison says the upcoming playoff series against Mount Forest will be a good measuring stick for his young players.
Wingham finished 6th in the division, and will take on a Patriots team loaded with scoring talent and arguably the best goalie in Junior C. A stiff challenge awaits the young Ironmen, who continue to rebuild after a solid run that saw them go to the finals back-to-back years, winning in 2014. The team has gone through a rebuilding phase in recent years as many former players aged out. Harrison is confident this group can grow into contenders very soon. For now, they have an opponent with a roster built to win now, and will have to get big contributions across the lineup to compete.
Up front, the Ironmen are led by Logan Tolton and Brad Randson, who both led the team in scoring with 20 points each. Despite not having huge numbers, the Ironmen do have a capable offense, as 9 players posted double digit point totals, and many of those players are young and eligible to return. With players like Ethan Long, Josh Stewart and Jeremy Ross among others providing depth scoring, there's reason to believe the Ironmen can cause the Patriots D some issues. Whether it's enough to carry them past the first round right now is maybe a bit too much to expect, but the group is young, fast and very promising.
On D, the Ironmen get steady play and a great two-way game from Carter Collinson, who in 33 games put up 17 points and played really well in his own zone. Any time a defender can offer great play in your own zone and chip in better than half a point per game, it bodes well for the team and D-core as a whole. Collinson is supported by solid defenders in Blake Buchanan and Carter Stewart. While neither of those 2 put up huge offensive numbers, they're reliable in their own end, can play physically, and are able to get the puck out quickly. If that top 3 can elevate their game and contain the dangerous forwards that Mount Forest has, it will boost the chances of the Ironmen making some noise.
In goal, the Ironmen are always confident in the crease work of Alex Metzger. Metzger played just shy of 1,300 minutes in 24 appearances, and while he only had 5 wins, that was more a reflection of a young team trying to find its footing in front of him. Patrick Do, who made 16 appearances, earned 6 wins this year, and had a very strong stretch after Christmas. Do was recently named goalie of the month in January, so the Ironmen have a capable duo who can keep them in games and make key saves when needed.
For an in-depth look at the Ironmen's upcoming series, here's GM Rob Harrison:
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